This element is used in two different contexts:

• As a model group definition in xs:schema:

  Purpose	In this context, the element defines a named model group to be reused later on in the schema definition. A named model group is a group of elements belonging together that is given a common name for later reference. See the section Model Group Definition Schema Component in W3C XML Schema - Part 1.
  Parent element	xs:schema
  Child elements	xs:all, xs:choice, xs:element, xs:sequence
  Attributes	name

  Attributes

  Name	Type	Description
  name	xs:NCName	The name attribute is mandatory. Its value is the name that identifies the group of elements.

• As a model group reference in xs:choice, xs:sequence or xs:complexType:

  Purpose	This element references a predefined model group. This leads to the insertion of the whole model group at the current location in the schema.
  Parent element	xs:choice, xs:complexType, xs:extension, xs:sequence
  Child elements	None
  Attributes	ref, minOccurs, maxOccurs

  Attributes

  Name	Type	Description
  ref	xs:QName	A global group can be referenced in other declarations in the same schema using the ref attribute of the xs:group element. The value of the ref attribute must refer to a global group. If you specify a ref attribute, you may not specify a name attribute on that group declaration. This attribute is mandatory.
  minOccurs	xs:nonNegativeInteger	This attribute is optional. It specifies the minimum number of occurrences of the group.
  maxOccurs	xs:string	This attribute is optional. It specifies the maximum number of occurrences of the group.

  Example

  <xs:group name="address">
    <xs:element name="firstname" type="xs:string" />
    <xs:element name="lastname" type="xs:string" />
    <xs:element name="street" type="xs:string" />
    <xs:element name="town" type="xs:string" />
    <xs:element name="zip" type="xs:string" />
  </xs:group>
  <xs:element name="letter">
    <xs:complexType>
      <xs:sequence>
        <xs:element name="sender">
          <xs:complexType>
            <xs:group ref="address" />
          </xs:complexType>
        </xs:element>
        <xs:element name="addressee">
          <xs:complexType>
            <xs:group ref="address" />
          </xs:complexType>
        </xs:element>
        <xs:element name="text" />
      </xs:sequence>
    </xs:complexType>
  </xs:element>